The Chawton Summers
by ubercarrots
Summary: A few scenes from an idea that I have, a sort of modern-day Pride & Prejudice that takes place in a beach town. Not very original, but fun for me to write. If it generates some interest, I might rewrite and complete the whole thing.
1. What exactly is your type, anyways?

**OK, since this is the first thing up I might as well write a little note about this whole... thing. Anyways. These "chapters" are just some scenes from an idea that I have - basically a modern Pride & Prejudice that takes place in a Nantucket-type beach town. Lizzy is a local, and Darcy is a preppy summer visitor. Basically I didn't want to write the whole thing and have no one read it, so I figured I might put up some samples and do a test run. If it generates some interest, I'll do some rewrites (because I barely look these over as it is XD) and put up the whole thing. But I don't know if you're reading or not if you don't tell me! So follow, review, email, and I'll know this has some interest. I don't own anything, this is a fictional place, blah blah blah...**

* * *

A half hour later, the five teenagers sat in the sunny town square. The sky was littered with clouds, and the air was thick and sultry. Thankfully, though, there weren't so many tourists where they were sitting. The ones who chose to risk the chance of rain sat with their shopping bags and purses in the high chairs and circular tables.

Eventually, the awkwardness must have reached a point where it was too much to bear. Caroline examined Lizzie, straightened up, and finally said something.

"So… Lizzie. What's it like living here… all year?"

Lizzie looked up from her smoothie. She thought for a moment, biting her lip pensively.

"It's nice, I guess. It's really cold in the winter, though, and there are _so_ many tourists in the summer. But we get by."

She glanced to her right to see Darcy's reaction, but he was texting furiously on his Blackberry. He must have sensed it, because he flinched suddenly and turned his head sharply to Lizzie. He opened his mouth to say something, when Caroline cut him off.

"But there's nowhere to shop." She said, a little too loudly.

Lizzie frowned and took a sip of her smoothie.

"Well… we have the Pavilion Mall. And all those boutiques that open during the summer."

"Yeah, but nowhere to _shop_, you know?"

A pause.

"No. I don't."

Caroline stared at her for a moment, then turned her attention to Darcy, who was still tapping away on his Blackberry.

"You text _so _fast, Darcy." She said. It was loud enough that Charlie and Jenny glanced over to see what was going on. Caroline let out an embarrassingly loud giggle, and Lizzy could swear that her foot was stroking Darcy's. She rolled her eyes, only thinking of Lindsey.

"Thanks." He muttered back, not looking up.

"Who, may I ask, is the lucky girl?" Carolyn asked, already knowing the answer.

"Grace." He sighed.

"Oh, _Grace?_ God, Darce, I wish _my_ brother was so devoted to me." She giggled again – Lizzy winced – and went on, with neither encouragement nor tact.

"But you know, poor Darcy doesn't need a girl as long as he has _Grace_." Carolyn smiled.

Darcy stared right ahead, trying as hard as he could not to break her neck right then and there.

"No, no. Darcy is _much_ too picky. I remember Charlie's and Darcy's sophomore year," Carolyn said, now addressing Lizzy. "They were having a sleepover, right? Like a little guy slumber party thing. Half the lacrosse team was there. Anyways, I was tagging along, because, well – lacrosse guys, need I say more? They were all talking about this one girl at school, what was her name?"

Nobody answered.

Carolyn smiled sweetly at Darcy. "What was her name?"

"Brooke Parker." He said mechanically, without looking up.

"Brooke Parker! So, like I was saying – _all _the guys loved her. I mean _loved _her. Perfect body, perfect hair, rich, so on and so forth. But not Darcy. No, after every guy had their say, Darcy had to go all John Hughes-sensitive-guy on us."

She paused, to see his expression.

Which was murderous.

"He said that Brooke Parker _wasn't his type_. Did I mention that she was like, totally in love with him? Yeah. But she just wasn't his type! Can you believe that?"

"Huh." Lizzy registered the information. Then, she turned to Darcy. "Well, what _is _your type, then?"

Darcy nearly jumped from the surprise of hearing her address him directly. He sat, shocked, for a moment. Then he answered, "I prefer women with substance."  
Charlie chuckled. "What do you consider _substance_?"

"Thank you, Charlie," Lizzie said. "I was just wondering the same thing."

Darcy exhaled coolly, not intending to answer at all. He knew by now Carolyn would jump at any opportunity to do that for him.

"Oh, my god. I totally remember his whole noble speech. She needs to be headed to an Ivy League (Columbia, preferably, that's where mummy and dad went), have a decent body, be athletic but not a jock, happy but not annoyingly so, play the piano and guitar, read in her spare time, and speak _french_."  
Charlie laughed loudly, remembering the night. "And not a sexual reference in there. Jesus, man, we all thought you must have been gay or something."

Darcy ruffled his dark hair and blinked several times. "There was beer, there. We were all pretty screwed up by then."

Another silence.

"Lizzie…" Jane spoke softly. Everyone turned in surprise; she seemed to have been forgotten. "I don't feel well."

Charlie leaped up from his chair immediately and ran to her left side. He pressed his hand to her forehead, and concentrated hard. "I think she has a fever."

Lizzie frowned and furrowed her brow, and quickly tried to weigh her options.

"Oh, Jane," She said. "I think I should probably get her home."

Carolyn smiled. "See you later, then!"

At this, Charlie was deeply offended. "Carolyn!" He scolded his twin. "She looks pretty bad."

He had a point. Jane was wobbly, even in her chair, and was holding her head in an exhausted pain.

"How are you getting home?" He asked.

"Same way we got here, we'll walk." Lizzy said.

"No!" Charlie exclaimed, as if Lizzy had suggested they ride on the back of an old motorcycle with an aging punk singer. "I can drive you if you want. It's not far! But… it's too far to walk… so don't walk!"

Lizzie gave a genuine smile for the first time all day. Charlie was so adorable in his concern for Jenna.

"That would be great." Lizzy said, fiddling through her pocket and taking out a few crumpled bills. "That's for the smoothies. Thanks, you guys."

Carolyn sneered slightly.

Darcy just stared at the bills.

"C'mon, Jane, let's go…" Lizzie and Charlie slowly helped Jane out of her chair and out of sight in the direction of his car. Carolyn craned her neck to watch them the entire time, whereas Darcy continued to look at the bills.

"Oh my God." Carolyn sighed. "Can you _believe_ them? Just taking advantage of Charlie like that. I bet she wasn't even sick. She was _fine_ when she came here. Seriously, I swear, the girls here are _such _attention whores. Right?"

Darcy wasn't listening, but muttered a "yeah" as a habitual agreement.


	2. She has nice eyes

Darcy picked self-consciously at his fingernails with the most serious concentration Charlie had ever seen. Sitting on the couch, Charlie and Carolyn simply looked at him strangely for several moments, not quite sure what to make of him. The silence was painful for the Bingleys, even if Darcy hardly noticed it. Charlie opened his mouth to hear his own voice, when Carolyn spewed out in a nearly desperate attempt to get Darcy's attention.

"So what do you think of Lizzy?"

Charlie raised his eyebrows in a childlike curiosity to hear what his friend had to say.

"Hm?" Darcy looked up, just barely.

"Lizzy. Bennett." Carolyn smiled haughtily. "I dunno, you two just seemed to really… like, _click_." Her tongue overemphasized the last word in a flirtatious way. If Darcy noticed, his expression remained unchanged.

"I'm not interested." He said simply. Charlie coughed, as if he were suppressing a laugh. Carolyn just sneered at her brother.

"Well, you could've fooled me. Out on the dunes, you two arguing like that… you know, in _my_ opinion, hate sex is the best kind."

Charlie laughed, seeing it as a challenge. He was eager to see what his friend had to say to that, but Darcy merely blinked and shrugged.

A silence followed. Not an awkward, forced silence; but a thoughtful one.

"She has nice eyes."

After a mo ment of processing, Carolyn burst out in hysterical laughter. She slapped her knee and bent forward, not making an effort to hide just how ridiculous this was. Charlie forced a small laugh, but his heart wasn't really in it. He knew how Darcy felt, right there. For once.

"Nice _eyes_?" Carolyn repeated, after finally calming down slightly. "You know, most guys like a girl for her tits and ass. In your case, maybe even her money and family and college. But _never_, in a million years, would I ever expect you to say a girl has nice… _eyes_."

The word was ugly to her; you could hear it in her voice. Darcy furrowed his brow in thought and grinded his teeth.

"I think I should get around to ordering that pizza." He mumbled, and quickly stood and walked out.

Caroline's draw dropped in mortification. "Darcy! C'mon, I was just screwing with you."

Charlie snorted and chuckled a little in amusement. But he was just as far gone as his friend. Only, Charlie's mind was wrapped in anticipation for the day tomorrow. It would be new opportunity to see Jenny, to make something happen. All he needed to do was take the first step.

Instinctively and impulsively, Charlie reached for his cell phone.


	3. For a moment, Darcy locked eyes with her

The routine was the same for all beginning-of-summer parties for Chawton's locals, especially Lizzy. She went to Jenna's house around three, vented about summer work and guys until four, got ready by five, and the pair was secure inside Jenna's Jeep by five thirty. It was a short drive to Steventon Beach, and the summer crowd just coming in from the highway prolonged the length of the trip. They were stopped in traffic along Mansfield Circle, and although they could see the beach from where they were, it would take another fifteen minutes to get there.

"Are you nervous?" Lizzy spoke, the first time during the whole car ride, over some U2 song playing over the radio.

Jenna looked over. "Nervous? For what?"

"I dunno," her friend shrugged. "To meet Biff and all his prep school pals."

"That's harsh, Liz."

"Please, you know my brother works in New Canaan. It's bad enough there."

Jane laughed. "C'mon, you barely know them."

Lizzie shook her head. "Whatever. I'll judge them when I see them."

"You mean _if _we ever meet them. This traffic is the worst it's ever been in the summer…"

But eventually, the car pulled into the parking lot above the clean sand of Steventon. In the summer, the beach was usually packed with suburban families who weren't quite elite enough to get a pass to Sanditon, but the few cars that Lizzie recognized were from her school. It was perfect – just before sunset, cool, not too windy.

She grabbed the Frisbee from the car and ran to catch up with Jenna, who was just making her way down the large stone steps onto the beach.

Immediately, she could see her friends, along with a few other local kids who she knew fairly well; as well as her friend Charlotte. Charlotte and her mother came every summer and the occasional Christmas to stay in the house next to Lizzy's, and the two had grown close over the years.

"Hey, you guys." Lizzy smiled and tossed the Frisbee over to Ben, who promptly began to organize a circle of people to throw it around.

"Lizzy! _There_ you are!" Meghan's voice was loud enough that a young couple passing by stopped in alarm. Lizzie waved to Meghan, who stomped right over.

"God, I thought you two were _never_ gonna show up. I don't know _where_ the hell those people are."

"Relax!" Ben called out to his twin. "They should be here any minute!"

Meghan shook her head in shame and began to look around.

"Seriously, whoever they think they are – oh my God. They're here! They're here! Guys, over _there!_" She pointed enthusiastically down the south side of the beach.

"Why are there only three of them?" Jenna said, apparently the only one who remembered that they had promised five or six people.

"Who cares? They're _hot_." Meghan scoffed; proceeding to coo at the guy she happened to come with.

Lizzie had to admit, Meghan was right. The three people walking down by the water – one girl and two guys, now that they were getting closer – were very attractive indeed. The girl had bright red-orange hair, a toned body, and an elegant way of walking. The first guy was clearly her brother, with the same color hair and a more athletic build. The other was very different – he was taller, with a skinnier frame and short dark hair in a well-maintained crew cut.

"_WE'RE OVER HERE!" _Lindsey screamed over to them. The brother and sister (if that's what they were) hurried over to the group, whereas the third member of the party just moved more slowly.

"Eh, pretty easy on the eyes. What say you, Jenna?" Lizzy turned to her friend for a response, but her eyes were fixed on the orange-haired guy. Lizzy understood in a moment, and laughed. "Oh, Jenna! Already? Here, come on, let's go say hi."

Lizzie grabbed Jenna's wrist and led her over to where Meghan was chatting up the brother and sister. She was talking at an extraordinary pace, and was so focused on her own story that she didn't notice her friends approaching. The boy did, though, and his eyes seemed to light up the second he laid eyes on Jenna.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" He said in an almost childish voice.

"What? Oh, yeah! Of course!" Meghan turned around and pushed Meghan and Lizzie forward.

"Jenna and Lizzy, this is _Charles Bingley_."

"Call me Charlie." He said, with a dazzling smile.

"Yeah, so, he's from Greenwich, and he's staying here for the summer."

"Oh yeah?" Lizzy said. "How do you like it so far?"

"It's great," he answered. "But I only just got here."

"Mhmm," Meghan continued, "he's going to be a freshman in college next year."

Of course, this meant big bonus points on Meghan's guy scale.

"What school are you going to?" Jenna asked softly.

He smiled again, directly at Jenna. "Yale." He said, as if it were no big deal. Meghan gasped, and Jenna and Lizzie both raised their eyebrows.

"Wow," Jenna said. "That's great."

"Well, pretty much all my family went there, so it's not like I had a choice! But yeah, I'm totally psyched."

For a moment, Jenna and Charlie just smiled at each other, as if they were the only two people on the beach. Then, of course, Meghan had to speak.

"And this is Caroline." She said, being very proud of herself for remembering another name.

"Caro_lyn_," The redheaded girl corrected. She was different from the boy. Where he was clearly extroverted and friendly, she was haughty and aloof. There was also a tone in her voice that was dripping in boredom and a sense of superiority. "Charlie and I are twins. I'm going to Yale, too."

Meghan smiled in her fake, I'm-gonna-bite-your-head-off way. "Well, isn't that nice." She rested her hands on Jenna and Lizzy's shoulders. "Anyways, these are my two _best _friends, Jenna and Lizzy. They're going to be seniors next year. _I'm _going to Mass Bay. My mom went there, but my dad didn't. He said college was a waste of time, so he just came here and opened up 'The Rock Lobster', I don't know if you saw it on your way – oh my God, hey!"

Lizzy was glad that something interrupted Meghan's efforts to make them look as worthless as possible, even if it had to be meeting another person. The tall, dark-haired one finally caught up with them. He stood behind his friends in a pale green polo, khaki shorts, and expensive-looking flip-flops. Unlike Charlie, he seemed distracted and uncomfortable, like a shark in a goldfish bowl. He didn't really know what to make of his surroundings.

"Oh, sorry," Charlie apologized for his friend. He backed up so that the other boy could fit into the circle that had been formed. "This is Will Darcy."

At hearing his name, Will Darcy came back to Earth. His expression was shocked and sudden. Collecting himself, he said in a monotone, "Darcy, please."

Charlie smiled at Jenna and Lizzy, as if seeking approval.

"I'm Lizzy," she said, before Meghan had a chance to humiliate them, again. "Nice to meet you."

For a moment, Darcy locked eyes with her. He looked down at his feet.


	4. Chawton was beautiful in the summer

Chawton was beautiful in the summer. It wasn't freezing like it was in the winter, or empty like it was in the autumn; nor was it rainy like it was in the spring. The New England town was warm and bright in the summer. But it was crowded. The population exploded in a pink and green fire when the wealthy families of the country flocked to the place. Though summer businesses thrived from the tourism and the beachside manors stood tall, the locals were never so fortunate. They were infamous for their prejudices against the "eighters" who reaped Chawton for its summer season and forgot it for the other ten months of the year; who clogged the local parking lots with sports cars with Yankees bumper stickers. But the tourists made no effort to make peace – they were too good, too above that kind. Chawton was only good for one thing in their minds: the summer.

But for Elizabeth Bennett, Chawton was good for an infinite number of things, and the summer was not one of them. It was far too humid for her taste, and her idea of an ideal summer excluded working at her dad's seasonal gift shop. Still, there was no school and no worries – so what if Muffy and Tuffy and Biff and Brock gave her the cold shoulder in the supermarket? There were plenty of ways to avoid the regular summer crowd.

That's why she was so grateful for Woodwake. It was cramped and too windy, but for her and her friends, it was a sandy haven.

The sun was finally going down on Woodwake one night when Lizzy pulled up on her beloved bike. She clucked her tongue in disappointment when she saw three beat-up cars sitting by the entrance. It meant everyone was already there, which meant that Lizzy missed the first few minutes of their annual summer kick-off.

After locking her bike in the rusting old rack, she trekked down the familiar passageway. She shivered from the cool summer air and the tickle of the tall grass on either side of her. Finally, the sand opened up into a square of beach. A group of familiar teenagers sat on a large flannel blanket, talking and tuning guitars. Lizzy stopped before they could see her, just to take a moment and breathe it in. It was finally summer. She had friends. And they were waiting.

"Lizzy!" Jenna was the first one to spot her. She jumped up and waved cheerfully, her long blonde hair messed across her face from the wind.

"It's about _time._" Meghan moaned dramatically. "Really, hon, you should think about getting a real car."

Lizzy shrugged. She was used to this argument, and there was no point in going through it for the millionth time.

"Nice to see you too," she said, taking her spot on the blanket.

The 'Longbourn Bunch' as they called themselves were a happy, albeit limited, group. There were seven of them, all from the same road (Longbourn, to be precise) and the same old circle of Chawton locals. They grew up alongside each other, and although each member has grown dramatically over the years, their bond never changed.

There was Lizzy, for starters. She was strong and independent, and always so picky about guys that it was a miracle for all of them when she finally dated a male specimen in her freshman year. She and Jackson were inseparable for three years, until he moved to California. But Lizzy didn't need a man to make her happy – she was fine with what she had.

Jenna was a different story entirely. Though she was shy around guys, they were certainly not shy around her. She was gorgeous and feminine, but never flaunted it. A string of obnoxious boys in seventh grade left her skeptical about males in general, and so the poor girl was always in doubt of a guy's intentions. Lizzy felt bad for Jenna – there were so many wonderful guys for her out there, that she never gave a chance.

Then there was Katie and Lindsey. Katie was an immature and wildly flirtatious junior who began tagging along with Lizzy and her friends since her exile from the popular group in sophomore year. She was irritating and embarrassing, but was never left behind or cast out of the group – everyone was too nice for that. Her sister Lindsey, though, was a sophomore and considered the baby of the group. Nobody touched her. _Ever_.

And Meghan. She was the oldest, and always the matriarch of the group. She never knew how to be tact or keep secrets, and always succeeded in humiliating Lizzy and Jenna in her attempts to hook them up. Of course, Lizzy had to admit; if it wasn't for Meghan she and Jenna would be single for the rest of her lives. Ben was her twin brother, the gay friend and the voice of reason in the group. He was never flamboyant or gossip-crazed, and Lizzy always admired him for his down-to-earth and sensible outlook. He balanced the group out, and although he was distant and often abandoned them for his other friends, Ben was definitely Lizzy's closest male friend.

There was also Mary, but she was annoyingly cynical and too wrapped up in her homework and herself to really be friends with the group.

So that's how it was – the seven of them, curled up on a large flannel blanket on a windy beach on a cool summer night. Lizzy would have liked to join Ben in his brooding, but Meghan couldn't stand silence.

"_Guess what._" She pushed Lizzy and Jenna playfully, nearly knocking them over. Neither of them answered, though, because 'guess what' usually meant that she would end up spitting it out anyways.

"So you know that _giant_ house on Sanditon that is _always_ empty during the summer?"

Jenna and Lizzy both nodded yes – a family had purchased that house decades ago, but stopped their summer visits to Chawton at least fifteen years ago.

"Well, Ben called me up the other day and said – tell them what you said!"

He groaned and rolled over onto the sand. Meghan rolled her eyes and spoke for him.

"So anyways, he's getting gas over on Evelyn, right? And that stupid station has always been self-serve, so he's just minding his own business when up pulls a… well, some fancy car," she paused for affect, but it wasn't a secret that Meghan knew next to nothing about cars. "And out comes this guy. _Totally _lost. But _totally _gorgeous. And he could tell he wasn't a local, because Ben had never seen him before, and the guy was wearing a goddamn _Lacoste_ polo that probably cost more than I'll make this summer. So yeah, and Ben just _walks _up to him and directs him to the Stop n Shop across town."

"So what?" Lizzy said, cutting Meghan off. "Ben met a prep, big whoop."

"Let me finish," Meghan snapped. "Anyways, the two have a nice chat, and based on his truly state-of-the-art gaydar, the guy's hetero as Tarzan. And Ben… invited him to Kelly's beach party tomorrow night!"

Jenna and Lizzy were unimpressed.

"_And he said yes!_" Katie and Lindsey both shouted at the same time, doing their own victory dance. Ben groaned and covered his ears.

"So the guy – what's his name?" Meghan continued.

"Charlie." Ben said, still facedown in the sand.

"So the guy _Charlie_ is coming down to Steventon tomorrow night with like, five or six other people! Can you believe that?"

Jenna grinned widely, her heart fluttering at the idea. Lizzy smiled with fake enthusiasm.

"Yeah, because every rich, single guy _must_ be looking for a girlfriend."

Meghan shrugged, "It's true."

Lizzy mulled this over for a moment. "Whatever," she finally said. "What do _you_ care anyways? You still have Jason." Jason was Meghan's current boyfriend, at least the last time Lizzy checked.

"We broke up," or maybe not. "I'm with Marco now. And anyways, not for _me_, stupid, for _Jenna_. And _you,_ if you don't go all pretentious bitch on us."

Lizzy rolled her eyes for what must have been the fifth time that conversation. "Do you even _know_ what pretentious means? Look, why would I want an oversized douchebag to carry around for the summer?"

"That's not the _point_," Meghan jabbed Lizzy pointedly in the chest. "How jealous is everyone going to be when they see _you_ – or Jenna, 'cause she'll probably land one first, no offense – hanging on the arm of someone who drives a car that will cost more than you make in a lifetime. Besides," she giggled excitedly. "They throw the _best_ parties. And I bet that house will fit everyone in Chawton. So do it for me! Do it for the _parties!_"

Jenna didn't need convincing; she was a romantic at heart. But Lizzy remained stubborn.

"Fine," Meghan sighed. "But you'll have to meet them. The party's tomorrow at six at Steventon. You know, before, we should _all_ go to the Pavillion and get our nails done, def our _toes_ at least because I can't even _look _at mine –"

Meghan was too busy rambling that she neglected to look behind her. Ben slowly sneaked up to her, step by step, until –

"_BEN YOU ASSFACE!"_

Ben summoned all of what could be considered upper-body strength, threw his twin over his shoulder, and threw her into the cold and shallow water of the beach.

"I SWEAR TO EFFING GOD, THE SECOND I GET UP THERE…"

The teenager was sandy, cold, and soaking wet. But nobody could help her – they were too busy laughing. Meghan shrieked and stomped, but after a while, she found herself giggling at the absurdity of it all.

Lizzy smiled to herself, calmly and at peace.

This was going to be a great summer.


End file.
